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Jeri I. Graham (b. 1943), of Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York, served in the Army Nurse Corps from 1978-2002. She retired with the rank of Colonel and later served on the Board of Directors of the Military Officers Association of Americirca Jeri I. Graham was born 8 May 1943 at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York Harbor. She graduated from Bay Shore High School in 1961, and then attended State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in education and a school nurse teacher certificate. Graham then began work as a school nurse in the Bedford Public School System in Westchester County, New York. In 1974, Graham entered Boston University to earn her master's degree in Maternal Child Health Nursing. She had received a federal traineeship, and as such was obligated to teach nursing, so she went to work at the University of Massachusetts Lowell for one year. Graham then began attending Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. While completing most of her clinical work at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Graham had the opportunity to learn about military healthcare delivery. She eventually received a nurse-midwifery certificate, and took a position at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida. While in Miami, Graham spoke with a former chief nurse at Fort Campbell who had become a recruiter for the Army Nurse Corps, and in 1978, at the age of thirty-five, Graham joined the Army Nurse Corps with the rank of major. Basic training proved to be challenging because of her age, but Graham was determined to succeed. Graham's first assignment was to Fort Campbell, Kentucky as the chief of nurse midwifery services. Her duties included assisting with cesarean births and gynecological emergency surgery. Feeling as if she needed the army experience to be able to identify better with her patients, Graham requested to attend Air Assault School, and although the physical training was strenuous, Graham eventually received her wings. From 1981 to 1984, Graham was assigned to the 97th General Hospital, Frankfurt Army Regional Medical Center, Germany. While stationed here, she participated in a series of studies, collecting data to show how much active duty time female soldiers were losing because of pregnancy. The data ultimately revealed it was not a significant amount of time. Graham returned to the United States and was assigned to Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, where she worked for a short time as head nurse of labor and delivery before moving into a maternal child health supervisor role. She instructed physicians in the obstetrics/gynecology (OB-GYN) residency programs and introduced less-interventional techniques. She also established the medical center's first birthing center. Graham's next position was chief nurse at Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia. She then moved to the same position at Wilson Army Community Hospital at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Graham had transitioned into more of an administrative role at this point, and was responsible for facilitating the deployment and return of medical soldiers during the Gulf War. She was also charged with hiring medical professionals on a contract basis to provide hospital care. Graham spent the next few years as chief nurse at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, then at William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, and then at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Around 2000, Graham was appointed the commander of the hospital at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In 2002, Graham retired from the Army Nurse Corps, after twenty-four years of service, and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. She has been involved with the Military Officers Association of America, the Army Nurse Corps Association, and the North Carolina Veterans Council.